AARP Rewards Online Community Empty Nest Contest 2025

[AARPTeri]

Now that the nest is empty, it’s your time to soar — and we want to celebrate your journey with AARP Rewards!

Join the AARP Rewards Connect Forum for a fun, feel-good contest focused on how you’re embracing this next chapter — and share your story.  Starting Monday, September 8, 2025 reply to this post sharing ways you are reconnecting, revelling in downtime or reinventing your weekend. 

We look forward to seeing your great posts!  Official Rules can be found here  -https://community.aarp.org/t5/AARP-Rewards-Connect/AARP-Rewards-Online-Community-Empty-Nest-Contest-... 

[rg22109724]

When the last of the kids left for college, the house felt cavernous. The echoes of slammed doors, late-night laughter, and even the occasional argument had been replaced with silence. At first, the quiet was unbearable.

I started to notice my wife more, as the girl I fell in love with so many years ago. We started taking after dinner walks, cooking meals together, we even signed up for a dancing class. We took road trips, and visited friends and relatives we hadn't seen in years.

We slowly started to realize that the empty nest was not the end of something, it was the beginning of our new adventure together.

[SereneSeagull]

You sound like you might be a writer.  I enjoyed the descriptive way in which you conveyed the emotion you were feeling.  

[MeganR13308]

Same here! Loved your post!

[patriciamgr]

As a divorced person without children, I have always experienced the joys of being able to set my own priorities for spending time on weekends.  After retirement, my freedom expanded and I embarked on new, exciting projects.  I love being able to socialize with friends spontaneously, throw myself into one of my hobbies with abandon, and just spend time meditating and relaxing.  Life is blissful.  

[l841131b]

It's been a year now and the house sure is quiet! Both kids moved out of state but we look forward to traveling for many visits and my even relocate ourselves sine we no longer have any family left here!

[lc54516337]

We have had a total of seven kids between us.  So having an empty nest is certainly strange.  But we love it.  When the last of the kids finally moved out we started doing Airbnb in our home (kid's old bedrooms) for a while. Great money, very helpful.  With the onset of  COVID we stopped doing Airbnb. Now we enjoy having friends stay over and love having late nights with friends cooking, drinking wine and staying up as late as we want!   

[JustJorie]

Empty nest! Again! My kids were both out, then they moved back in at the beginning of COVID-19 .  Just this summer, they both launched for the second time.

I find myself leaving the bathroom door open. I practice my karaoke without fear of someone walking in on me. I clean up after myself, and it stays clean (until I make another mess).

[LynnM617441]

When I was working full time while also raising my son who has major special needs, every waking moment was spoken for. My life now is so different!

I now can go to bed and get up when I wish. I can eat out with a friend or just stay home and watch a full TV show uninterrupted. (Before I had been lucky to be able to watch five minutes on any given day.) Even having the ability to go shopping for groceries without playing a game of "Beat the Clock" is a luxury that I don't think I will ever take for granted. (I used to have to get grocery shopping done during my son's social skills class.)

Now that my son is in a group home, I feel like I have in some ways graduated from being his mother to being his grandmother. I can visit him as often as I wish, spoil him and have fun times with him, and then let the group home staff deal with the day-to-day tasks of cooking and cleaning for him, taking him to his doctor appointments, making sure he is safe day and night, etc. 

I have become an ambassador for my adult son's group home organization. They have not only been keeping him safe, but have been helping him to have as fulfilling a life as he can have. I love being an ambassador for them: Not only am I helping the organization that is helping my son, I am also getting to share how wonderful they are with other parents who are considering group homes. 

I am a retired teacher and had missed public speaking. I now feel that I am getting the joys of teaching without having to deal with grading.

So now I get to have the best of being a teacher and a mother without having to deal with their downsides. And being so busy and having so much responsibility when I was younger has made me appreciate life's little pleasures so much more now that I have far less responsibility and far more free time.

I doubt I'll win this contest since I am not engaging in any grand travel adventures (I want to stick close to my son in case he needs me), but I am happy with my life and take great joy in the little things. And really, what more could one ask for?

[KristBelt]

I love your essay; it is very touching, and I am so happy for you and your son.

[LynnM617441]

Thank you for taking the time to leave such a kind comment. 🙂

[EricL784208]

Our son moved out and we became empty nesters!  We were 'dating' again, travelling, dinners out, meeting up with old friends.  Alas, that came to an abrupt halt as her mother has now moved in with us.  Oh, to be part of the 'sandwich' generation.....

[badstink]

My wife and I have been taking a 4-7 day vacation at least once every three months by visiting with out-of-state friends and/or family, venturing to new cities we've never been too before, or getting in a fabulous ski getaway or a cruise.  We're also knocking off a home improvement project once a year to keep our home fresh and fun!

[SabihaB497264]

Hello,  to be free of responsibilities sounds exciting,  to be free of some responsibilities sounds rewarding,  to be responsible is to be boss.  Enough said. Sincererly SABIHA BHOLAT